This invention relates in general to clad windows and clad personnel entry doors. This invention relates especially to clad door frames which are used in buildings as avenues for people entering and exiting the building, including door assemblies wherein windows are joined to such door frames either as side lites or as overhead transom windows. This invention also relates to overlying clad transom windows used in clad door assemblies. The invention further relates to joining clad window frames to each other, to joining clad door frames to each other, and to joining clad window frames and clad door frames to each other.
Arcuate windows, overlying e.g. a rectangular window, or overlying a door, have achieved an established position in the market for windows and doors. Arcuate windows can provide a desired aesthetic/artistic characteristic to the overall appearance of a building.
Penetration of water into window frames is known as a significant source of deterioration/damage in window frames which use wood as a structural and/or decorative material.
Advances have been made in the fabrication of the arcuate portions of window framing from wood, and in the fabrication of glazing units from glass or other sheet material, for such windows. The nosing portion of the cladding which attaches to the structural window framing is desirably made of a material which is more weather-resistant than wood in order to avoid frequent maintenance to the outside surface of the window structure and to reduce the amount of water which penetrates the window, thereby reaching the wood substrate and causing deterioration of the wood substrate.
Doors and windows are generally assembled by an assembler. The assembler incorporates the respective door slab in a door frame and the respective window glazing in a window frame. As desired, window clusters may be assembled in a single window frame which extends about the outer perimeter of the cluster, and side light windows may be assembled to a door frame.
A window which is located directly over a door or door/sidelight combination is commonly referred to as a transom window. Transom windows are desirably assembled into a common unit with the respective underlying door frame so that the combined structure can be inserted, as a single unit, into the rough opening in the building.
However, the industry has not to date provided adequate interface structure which facilitates easily joining the transom window frame to an underlying door frame during assembly of the transom window to the underlying door frame.
Ongoing advances in development of window and door frames have moved toward extruded aluminum and extruded plastics as materials of choice to face the ambient environment on the outside surface of the building. Extruded aluminum and extruded plastics require only limited maintenance.
Transom windows, and windows in general, are conventionally fabricated in a wide variety of shapes. In some windows, all of the sides are straight. In other windows, some of the sides are arcuate or otherwise curvilinear as in conventional half-round and eyebrow windows. So, while it would be desirable to provide similarly-configured nosings and drip caps, extruded aluminum and extruded plastics, from which nosings and drip caps are commonly made, are typically fabricated in extended production runs as straight-line extrusions, whereby arcuate extrusions of such structures are not available as mass produced articles of commerce.
In some instances, it is desirable to attach an arcuate drip cap to an arcuate nosing, or to an arcuate portion of a nosing. In response to the desire for arcuate nosing material for arcuate windows, the industry has developed the technical capability to bend conventionally-fabricated straight-line rectangular nosing extrusions, without drip caps.
Thus, the industry offers an aluminum nosing which is extruded as a straight nosing. After being extruded as an elongate straight profile nosing, the aluminum nosing is bent to the desired arcuate configuration. In order to have an arcuate drip cap which can be used with such bent/arcuate nosing, a straight, extruded drip cap is separately bent into the desired arcuate shape. The lower surface of the platform of the so-bent drip cap is then positioned over the outer surface of the outer flange of the so-bent nosing, with the inner end of the drip cap in general alignment with the inner-facing web of the nosing. In conventional assemblies, there is no alignment structure in the drip cap or in the nosing which assists in holding the drip cap in alignment over the nosing, or which assists in mounting the drip cap to the nosing. Rather, the assembler places the drip cap on the nosing, and holds the drip cap in “X” and “Y” alignment with the nosing, while attaching the arcuately-formed drip cap to the arcuately-formed nosing, using screws spaced generally uniformly along the full length of the drip cap.
The first function of the screws is to attach the drip cap to the nosing. The second function of the screws is to maintain the alignment between the drip cap and the nosing. In addition, as the screws are tightened, the tightening of the screws acts to force the arcuate configuration of the drip cap and the arcuate configuration of the nosing to conform to each other whereby any variations in the angle or consistency of the arc radii of the drip cap and the nosing are desirably nullified as the drip cap and the nosing are drawn together by the tightening of the screws. In the event of a substantial misalignment of nosing and drip cap, or substantially different subtended arcs, extra tightening force may be used on the screws, along with corrective lateral alignment forces between the nosing and the drip cap, within the limits allowed by the screw holes, to attempt to conform the drip cap and nosing to each other. If too much force is used tightening a screw, the threads may be stripped, either on the screw or on the drip cap or on the nosing. If a user encounters excessive difficulty in assembling an assembly, including potential damage to the nosing or the drip cap, the drip cap or the nosing may be discarded in favor of a different piece, drip cap or nosing, which will, hopefully, be better suited for the desired assembly configuration, or will not be damaged during the assembly process. Even where the nosing and the drip cap are properly configured in terms of cooperative arcuate radii, and where the assembler does not strip any threads, the assembly of the two elements together, and their alignment, are completely dependent on use of acceptable gripping power, and structural integrity, relative to the assembly screws, which are maintained under constant stress. The stress on the screws in the assembly represents a combination of the tension normally needed to hold assembled parts in surface-to-surface contact with each other where both parts are in fact formed to the same arcuate configuration, as well as the tension needed to bend either the nosing or the drip cap, potentially along the full lengths of those parts, in order to correct inconsistencies in the arcuate configurations of the parts being assembled.
Further, the screws present a less-than-desirable appearance to the window framing. The screws tend to catch dirt; and the screws provide potential avenues for water to leak into the window structure. Further, the screws incur a certain labor cost while assembling the assembly. Overall, the screws are attended by a number of negative factors whereby it is desirable to reduce the number of screws which need to be used at locations where the screws are exposed to casual visual observation or where the screws are exposed to ambient weather.
In addition, the assembly process bears a certain risk of misalignment of the drip cap on the nosing. Namely, the worker who is assembling the drip cap to the nosing must ensure that the drip cap remains aligned with the nosing throughout the assembly process, until all of the screws are in place.
For conventional joining of clad window frames to clad door frames, or clad window frames to clad window frames, or clad door frames to clad door frames, the respective frames are typically aligned with each other with the assistance of a jig or other fixture which is not part of either frame. The frames are then secured to each other using fasteners such as screws or nails. A mullion cap or the like is then driven into the molding/nosing kerf receptacles thereby to cover the joint between the frames. Such mullion cap is employed for aesthetic/appearance purposes, and does not contribute significantly to the function of holding the frames secured together. Rather, the securement function is performed by the e.g. screws or nails or other fasteners external of the nosings.